The previous deice introduced a fine mist into the dry air to lower ambient temperature. The previous device supplied the mist by means of a continuously pressurized tank.
The current invention delivers a fine mist spray to cool a localized area by evaporative cooling also, but with the following improvements:
The new device allows for the introduction of ICE or ice water allowing the device to work efficiently in humid environments through the process of conductive cooling as well as evaporative cooling in dry climates. The new device also incorporates a hand pump which allows the device to be filed in a remote location. According to the preferred embodiment of the device, the pressurizable tank may be of sufficient size and in acceptable packaging to make the entire apparatus portable by hand carrying, adapted to be worn in a back-pack or fanny pack configuration or be substantially free standing.
The only known portable spraying device for delivering humidity into a dry atmosphere is my previous invention. Other devices known in the spraying apparatus art area variety of devices for directing and applying a spray of fluid to an object, such as crops lawns, weeds, or fire. Generally, these devices may be broadly classified into two categories. The first group, consisting of motor driven sprayers, is represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,421,697 issued to Marks on Jan. 14, 1969, 3,539,110 issued to Kobayashi on Nov. 10, 1970, 3,802,511 issued to Good, Jr. on Apr. 9, 1974 and 4,651,903 issued to Pagliai on Mar. 24, 1987. This first group of patents broadly discloses portable back-pack like sprayers, however none discloses a fannypack style that can be worn for hands free operation. The second group, consisting of non-motor driven sprayers, is represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,911,157 issued to Converse on Nov. 3, 1959, 3,352,364 issued to De Coste on Nov. 14, 1967, 3,993,245 issued to Smith on Nov. 23, 1976, and 4,688,643 issued to a Carter et al on Apr. 25, 1987. Of this second group, only patents issued to Coste and Smith disclose a sprayer having a pressurizable container and a spray nozzle. In the De Coste patent, the fluid in the container is directly pressurized by introduction of pressurized air through an air valve into the fluid container. Upon exhaustion of the air pressure within the container, the container must be re-pressurized from a pressurized air source. The Smith patent discloses a spraying device having a pressurizable container where a manual air-pump is used to prssurize the fluid the container. My previous invention discloses a pressurizable container but can be substantially improved by including a manual air pump to pressurize the fluid in the container.
Thus, an examination of the art, reveals that there is no known spray cooling apparatus for evaporatively cooling a localized area which employs a pressuriable container a valve for activating a flow of pressurized fluid from the tank through a nozzle or a plurality of nozzles and a fanny pack style bag for wearing the device in a hands free operative style, and allowing for the introduction of ice cubes and or ice water.